A Simple Idea With Huge Potential

How can you accelerate your team’s performance? Here’s a simple idea that I have used that has paid big dividends. It’s not an original idea, but I’m offering a definition and explaining the focus it requires to add real substance.

The idea: Assign a champion to each large body of work.

Yes, it is a simple concept, but how you define the role is where the value resides.

Here are some of the attributes I use:

The Champion’s Role

• Provide thought leadership
• Develop deep subject matter expertise
• Create and manage the staffing plan
• Engage the entire team as needed
• Steward the budget in the assigned area
• Ensure the work gets done

Don’t miss the fact that you are still a team. The champion doesn’t own the work; the team does. The champion serves as the encourager, conscience, and more for the team.

If you have used Champions on your teams, what successes have you seen?